The present invention relates generally to coasters for beverage containers and, more specifically, to an attachable beverage coaster which is adapted to be removably attached to the bottom surface of a beverage container such as a conventional aluminum soft drink can having a recessed bottom surface surrounded by an annular bottom support surface. The attachable beverage coaster is particularly adapted for providing a stable support surface for beverages consumed in a moving vehicle such as, for example, a boat, or RV/motor home, or in a similar motion environment in which the beverage container and the support base upon which it rests are subject to shocks and inertial forces which tend to overturn the beverage container or tend to cause the beverage container to slide across the surface of an associated support base.
In certain vehicles such as boats, RV motor homes, airplanes and the like, table-type support surfaces are provided for supporting food and beverages. Persistent problems in such vehicles are the overturning and sliding of beverage containers on the support surfaces when the vehicle accelerates or changes direction. As a result, various attempts have been made to provide a more stable support configuration for beverage containers. Beverage containers have, for example, been provided with bottom coatings to create a surface which is less resistant to slipping than the aluminum or glass from which beverage containers are ordinarily constructed. A problem with coating the bottom of containers is that it significantly increases the cost of manufacturing the containers. Another problem with bottom-coated containers is that such containers remain prone to overturning. In fact, because such containers, when subject to inertial force, are less likely to slide across an associated support surface, the tendency of the container to overturn is increased. Another device which has been used in association with beverage containers and which, in some cases, provides an increase in stability to an associated container is the insulating beverage holder. Such devices are generally constructed from polystyrene or other types of plastic foam. The surface of the plastic foam is generally more skid-resistant than the ordinary bottom surface of a container, and the broadened base provided by the bottom of the insulating holder provides a somewhat more stable base surface than the container bottom itself. However, such insulating holders, which by the very nature of the insulating function must be substantially as tall as an associated beverage container and somewhat larger in diameter than the beverage container, are quite bulky and relatively expensive to produce. Also, because of the fact that the base of an insulating holder is generally relatively thick, e.g. 1/2 inch, the center of gravity of an associated beverage container is raised thereby, thus tending to reduce the stability of the container and cancelling the desirable stabilizing effect provided by a broadened container base. Further, the foam material from which the more inexpensive of such insulating holders are constructed is generally not a durable material, and thus the insulating holders are subject to damage and must generally be replaced quite often.
A relatively inexpensive and easily stored device which is sometimes employed to stabilize a beverage container as well as to prevent moisture condensation is a conventional coaster constructed from a slip-resistant material such as, for example, paper board. Although conventional coasters are relatively easily stored and tend to prevent beverage containers from sliding, they do nothing to prevent a beverage container from tipping. Ordinary coasters also have the drawback of requiring a user to pick up the coaster and move it with him whenever he moves to a new location.
It would be generally desirable to provide a beverage container stabilizing device for use in a motion environment which overcomes the above-described problems associated with prior art devices. It would also be desirable to provide such a device which may be used without modification on various types of recessed-bottom cans, the type of beverage container which is most often used in boating and other recreational settings.